Existing methods employed within graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to visualize and manage large amounts of data suffer from a number of shortcomings. Beginner users of the GUIs of many major operating systems often experience disorientation and confusion due in part to the segmented and discontinuous presentation of directories, sub-directories and files, where only a portion of the relevant data is displayed at any one time. As a data set becomes larger, this problem is exacerbated.
In the context of the World Wide Web (WWW), a user may often become disorientated within a web site. Both users and web masters also often require a concise and easy-assimilated overview of the structure of the web site.